French Bakeries Will Be Allowed to Open Every Day
French bakeries can open every day after the authorities in France decided the revoke the order that obliged the store to close one day per week.
Following Féderation des entreprises de boulangerie – FEB’s request and after consultation with the bakeries, the prefectural order of 5 July 1996, obliging bakeries to close a day by week, will be repealed.
“After consulting the professionals of the department regarding the services of the Prefecture, it appears that an indisputable majority wishes to be able to work when they wish,” FEB shows in a press release.
The prefect will soon repeal this decree that previously obliged bakers to close shop one day a week.
The FEB welcomes the move to repeal of this decree, which will allow entrepreneurs from this sector to develop their business. Indeed, in a tense economic context for bakers and confectioners, entrepreneurs still face too many constraints regulations that slow down their growth. In response to our request for comment on this development, Mathieu Labbe told us on behalf of the French association: “In France, an old law (adopted just after the World War I) employs restrictions on the number of days when bakeries can be open. It’s a strong battle for FEB to cancel this regulation. We won in 30 districts, we have to engage for a resolution in the remaining 71 districts (including islands and overseas territories). Bakery companies have to follow their consumers’ desires. Now they want fresh bread every day, so it is essential to make it understood to our authorities that the world is changing.”
According to an Ifop survey for the FEB in July 2017, approximately 87% of French people expressed their preference to be able to find bread near their home, available whenever they want it. In addition, a majority of respondents (56%) are in favor of the freedom of choice for bakers and bread stores to open for business when they want.
In another regulation impacting the French baking scene, it was mandatory for Parisian bakers to take their holidays either in July or August – under rules dating back to the French Revolution, in 1798. This was in order to ensure the capital’s constant supply of baguettes and croissants. There are over 1,200 bakeries in Paris, which are now split evenly into two carefully selected groups – one that can close in July, and the other whose owners can go on vacation in August. They swap around every year.